BRISBANE The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) University of Queensland branch has launched a Save our George campaign to win the reinstatement of associate professor George Lafferty. In August, Lafferty, who was employed by the UQ business faculty, received a notice from the faculty dean stating that his contract would be terminated.
Lafferty has been a prominent opponent of proposals by the university to introduce full-fee paying places for Australian undergraduate students. In July, Lafferty became president of the UQ NTEU branch. The NTEU believes his termination and his union role are linked.
In May, Lafferty had been told his five-year contract would be renewed for 2003. According to the NTEU, Lafferty has an eminent teaching and research record which was recognised with his promotion to associate professor in 2001.
The NTEU believes there has been a very serious breach of the principles of intellectual freedom and the right to freedom of association at the University of Queensland. We see the attack on the NTEU UQ president as an effort to remove a critic and one that the union must defend. The NTEU national executive and national council have endorsed a vigorous campaign against the University of Queensland management for Lafferty's reinstatement.
On September 27, 350 rallied at UQ to demand Lafferty's reemployment. For more information about the campaign, visit <http://www.nteu.org.au/campaigns/savegeorge>.
From Green Left Weekly, October 23, 2002.
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